Someone should have told her. Swollen joints and scarred bark will not be tolerated. I wince at her humiliation, the "not knowing". Then, think of the onslaught and panic rises. Her leaves are glossy, aren't they? See? She flowered, right there and there! Isn’t that enough? My heart quickens; spare her.

Love the correlation between what you feel/felt and what you assume the tree feels. But...just say that the trees wants to be cut loose, is tired of being expected to shade and bloom and just wants to provide heat and energy for someone that really needs her? A viable option, to move on...to clear some space for a vegetable garden that will provide (or a house or an art studio!). Just think of the opportunities that await for "new life".

Hi Terri. Thanks for the nice sentiments and of course you are right, and for the most part, I really do feel that way, or at least hope to be able to move on to better and brighter things when time offers more opportunity. I guess what I was trying to share here was just a very brief moment, an expression of empathy, and an unexpected reaction to the tree cutting. Thanks for your kind words.